


Directions from a Dragon

by Multifandom_damnation



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Gen, I Tried, Mostly Gen, i hope this is good, the slash relationships are not big
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-21
Updated: 2018-05-21
Packaged: 2019-05-09 17:43:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14720703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Multifandom_damnation/pseuds/Multifandom_damnation
Summary: Vox Machina: lost, exhausted, irritable and alone in a desert, trying to find a town that they didn't have directions to and trying to stay sane on the way. They're out of spells, out of luck, out of faith and desperation is kicking in hard.Someone wants to ask a dragon for directions.The others think that's a terrible idea.Maybe a dragon will end up getting them there after all?





	Directions from a Dragon

**Author's Note:**

> Like I said, writing funk, but I saw this and even though it's short, I felt like I had to write it. I think it turned out well, don't you? I hope so.

A dragon flew overhead, loud beating wings and deep blue scales, blocking out the sun for a moment as Vox Machina dived for cover and huddled together, waiting for it to pass out of sight. When Vex could no longer sense it, they stood and climbed themselves out of the ditch they had hidden in.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Scanlan glared at the sky. “Maybe we should have asked him for directions.”

Vax scoffed, gently whacking the gnome on the back of the head. “Scanlan, we are not asking the dragon for directions.”

“Why not?” Scanlan asked indignantly, rubbing his head as if it hurt. It didn’t really but the snort from Pike over on Grogs shoulder threatened to pull a grin from his scowling lips. “We don’t know where we’re going! It’s probably not even the right direction. Maybe he could even give us a lift. It’ll be better than walking all the way.”  He turned to stare at Keyleth. “Can’t you do the tree thing? Or the mist one?”

“No Scanlan,” she sighed, brushing the hair behind her ear as it fell in her eyes. “I’ve already told you this. More than once. I didn’t bring it today. And anyway, I used Hero’s Feast this morning, Move Earth, Heal during that fight, 3 Scrying spells to get us here in the first place and Control Weather to get us past that storm. I’m practically useless, I’ve got nothing.”

Scanlan groaned. “This is ridiculous.”

“We can always just sleep in the mansion or and go tomorrow when Keyleth has her spells back.” Vex pointed out.

“I told you,” Scanlan grumbled as he used his whole body to climb over a rather large  _something_ buried in the sand. “I got nothing. I had to use most of my spells to save your asses.”

Keyleth lifted her hand to interject, but Vax put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head, a smile on his lips and a roll of his eyes.

“You can always come and sit on me.” Grog suggested jovially, leaving large, deep footsteps in the sand as he bounded around the group, a squealing Pike clinging to his ears for dear life. “Up with Pike. I don’t mind.”

“That’s not the point,” Scanlan mumbled as he accepted Grogs hand and allowed him to be lifted onto the goliath’s other shoulder. Pike leaned behind Grogs head and punched Scanlan in the shoulder- hard. She mouthed an apology as Scanlan rubbed his arm to get the feeling back. “The _point_ is,” Scanlan continued, leaning one arm on Grog’s head. “We don’t know where we’re going, how to get there, and how long it will take. We have nowhere to sleep, no way to get there quickly or who we have to talk to when we get there.”

“Well,” Keyleth said, crafting flowers to put in Vex’s hair. “On the plus side, when we do sleep, I can get us there in no time.”

“But where _will_ we sleep?” Grog asked, stopping to look around. His eyes were narrowed, squinting into the horizon for any tavern or inn or bar they could spend the night.

“I suppose in some trees,” Vax said, running behind Vex and yanking her braid before darting off again to hide behind Keyleth. “Like we did in Whitestone.”

Sitting straight, Scanlan looked around from his perch on Grog’s shoulder, squinting as he looked as far as his eyes could see, only to be met with sand, sand and more sand. “What trees?” he snapped, exhaustion and too much heat making him irritable. “There are no trees.”

The sandy landscape they were surrounded by indeed bore no trees, no taverns or inns or bars and most certainly no people to ask for directions. The sun glittered painfully off the sand, burning sparking spots into their retinas as they glanced at it.

“What do you think we should do then Scanlan?” Pike asked tilting her head at him.

He blinked. “Why would I have any idea?”

A slow, wicked grin crawled across Pike’s face, her eyes lighting up in suppressed laughter and her cheeks turning red with joy. “Well,” she said slowly, drawing it out, meeting his eyes and making heat pool in the centre of his chest. “You _are_ the leader.”

Scanlan felt his jaw drop as Vax collapsed on the sand in a fit of laughter, holding his chest and kicking his legs as he writhed. Vex and Keyleth leaned on each other and hid their giggles behind their fists. Grog reached up and high-fived Pike as she stuck her tongue out at the other gnome, lightly slapping him on the shoulder as he spluttered. “Th- that doesn’t mean anything!” He stuttered, glaring at his friends laughing. “If it’s so funny, why don’t you have any ideas!” He paused, catching Percy out of the corner of his eye standing still in the sand, eyes plastered firmly west. “Percy, is everything ok?” He asked, drawing the groups attention to their solitary friend.

Instead of answering, Percy got down on his stomach, pulled Bad News off of his shoulder and looked through the sight. “You know,” he called, changing the range and strength on the scope until he could see. “We’re a rather perceptive bunch, but this town is rather hard to find.”

“We know that Percy,” Vax told him, accepting Vex’s hand to pull himself up off the ground. “We wouldn’t still be out here if it wasn’t hard to find. Now get up off the sand, you’re getting your lovely coat all dirty.”

“What if we’re not looking at the right place?” Percy asked, ignoring Vax as though he hadn’t spoken. “Or, what if we are looking in the right place, but we just can’t see it?”

“Percy,” Vex sighed, walking over to him and lacing her fingers through his hair. It was glittering almost as brightly as the sand under the sun. “You’re speaking in tongues. Just say what you mean and then we’ll keep going.”

Suddenly, a loud familiar blast exploded across the sand, the bullet from Percy’s gun firing with a burst of smoke and kicked up sand, disappearing forever into the unknown. With a manic chuckle, Percy stood and walked the line the bullet fired, calling over his shoulder for the others to follow.

With a confused sigh, the others did, stumbling over themselves at their haste to follow their friend.

“Percy, what are you doing?” Keyleth asked as politely as she could manage as she reached his side. “Where are we going?”

“Didn’t you see?” He replied, his grin twisted and large. “It disappeared. It’s like that spell you have Kiki, the Hallucinatory Terrain.”

“What are you talking about?” Scanlan interjected, short-tempered as he played his shawm. “Percy, the heats going to your brain. You’re going crazy.”

“More than usual!” Grog put in with a laugh and Scanlan grinned at him.

On the edge of where he last saw the bullet fade, Percy stopped, staring hard at the open air. Behind him, his friends were silent, casting confused glanced at each other but too afraid to voice their questions. Just as the silence dragged too long with them standing there, Keyleth opened his mouth to ask Percy what they were doing, when he suddenly thrust his hand forward.

Up to the elbow, his arm disappeared.

Percy cackled in glee as he stepped forward without a second glance, disappearing seemingly into thin air. In a panic, the twins followed, Percy’s name on their lips as they barrelled through and vanished as well. Keyleth went next, much calmer than the others, and on Grogs shoulder the gnomes had no choice but to follow as the goliath sprinted through.

On the other side of the invisible barrier was a brightly coloured town full of humans with dark skin, half-orcs with tattoos, elves and half-elves and green-skinned druids with their ears pierced with deep blue studs and flowers threaded into their hair, each person wearing beautiful gowns and robes of red and gold as they walked from stall to stall, person to person, tavern to tavern. Some had their hair piled high and curled tightly into an up-do that reached the clouds, others had long straight hair decorated with jewels and beads that were tied into a ponytail, others had it shaved or braided close to their heads. Some carried baskets of fruit or flowers or knick-knacks, smiling politely at Vox Machina as they answered.

In awe, Vax leaned closer to Percy. “Uh, Percival, how did you know this was here if it was hidden?” He whispered.

“The sand was darker.” Percy whispered back. “I would have thought nothing of it if there were clouds, but there were none, so it was safe to assume it was a trick.”

Looking down at him, Scanlan could see Percy’s proud grin showed off most of his teeth, his eyes alight as he took in the scenery and watched, wide open and piercing. The gnome so rarely saw his friend smile like this and it sent a pang of joy through his heart but the smile was also unsettling, reminding him of something. Slowly, Scanlan smiled as it dawned on him and leaned sideways against Grog’s head.

“Well,” He laughed, drawn out and loud enough to get the attention of the group but his eyes were fixed on Percy and the pedatory glint in the nobles iris. “Looks like a dragon really did give us directions after all!”

**Author's Note:**

> (I choose a blue dragon because that was the only one not involved in the stream during the Chroma Conclave, even though they killed him before the stream started. I thought it'd be fitting. Hope you liked it x)


End file.
